Heavy rain and widespread flooding affected  the Passaic and Delaware River Basins. In all, about 6,000 persons were evacuated along the Delaware and Passaic River Basins in New Jersey with about 3,200 homes damaged. New Jersey Acting Governor Richard J. Codey declared a state of emergency on April 3rd.  In Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Mercer and Morris Counties, about 1,800 homes and businesses were flooded, 25 homes were destroyed. Many of the homes and businesses that were flooded, had flooding into the first floor of their dwellings. About 4,000 people were evacuated from the five counties. Shelters were opened in schools, fire houses and churches. Both the Red Cross and Salvation Army assisted with the evacuations and distributing food and drinks. Many major roads were closed.  Total statewide damage from this storm was estimated at $52 million dollars. The worst damage was reported in Lambertville (Hunterdon County) and Trenton (Mercer County). Miraculously there were no deaths or major injuries. Residents and businesses found raw sewage that backed into water-logged cellars. Many furnaces, water heaters, electrical panels, washing machines and dryers were destroyed. In many places, everything that was stored below ground level was destroyed. The flood waters dislodged propane and oil tanks. Some basements were contaminated with oil. First floor damage included ruined hardwood floors, furniture, carpeting, vinyl flooring and dry walls. The homes that were greatly affected had their electricity and gas service turned off and in many instances had to get the former replaced. Private wells had to be tested for contamination. On April 19th, President George W. Bush declared a major disaster area in Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties. This opened the door for federal aid for homeowners and businesses. Persons could get grants for temporary housing and to clean and rebuild their homes. Homeowners and businesses were now eligible for low interest loans to cover uninsured property losses and other federally funded programs. The northeastern part of Morris County was hit the hardest by flooding along the Pequannock, Pompton and Passaic Rivers. Isolated sections of the Passaic River never went below flood stage from the flooding on March 28th as the next batch of heavy rain arrived.  The rain began falling around Midnight EST on the 2nd and fell heavy at times during the afternoon into the early evening. Lighter rain and/or drizzle fell through the rest of the night and ended during the morning of the 3rd. Storm totals averaged around three inches. About 500 people were evacuated mainly from Pequannock and Lincoln Park Boroughs. In Lincoln Park, thirty streets were closed and over 100 homes were flooded near the Pompton and Passaic Rivers. As of April 8th, about 100 people could not return to their homes as several streets were still flooded. In Pequannock, four major roads were closed including New Jersey State Route 23. Schools were closed on Monday the 4th. All power to the borough was restored on the 6th. Road closures due to flooding also occurred in Dover, Rockaway, Randolph, Denville, Netcong, Morris and Mount Arlington.          The Rockaway River above the Boonton Reservoir was above its 5 foot flood stage from 728 p.m. EST on the 2nd through 1118 p.m. EDT on the 4th. It crested at 6.33 feet at 1030 a.m. EDT on the 3rd. The Rockaway River below the Boonton Reservoir was above its 5 foot flood stage from 645 p.m. EST on the 2nd through 1230 a.m. EDT on the 6th. It crested at 7.19 feet at 1 p.m. EDT on the 3rd. The Pompton River at Pompton Plains was above its 16 foot flood stage from 1122 p.m. EST on the 2nd through 315 a.m. EDT on the 5th. It crested at 20.42 feet at 4 p.m. EDT on the 3rd. The Pequannock River at the Macopin Intake Dam was above its 5.5 foot flood stage from 630 p.m. EST on the 2nd through 830 p.m. EDT on the 4th. It crested at 6.12 feet at 215 p.m. EDT on the 3rd. The Whippany Creek at Morristown crested at 6.03 feet at Midnight EST on the 3rd. It was above its 6 foot flood stage from 1015 p.m. EST on the 2nd through 315 a.m. EDT on the 3rd. The Passaic River at Chatham was above its 6 foot flood stage from 640 p.m. EST  through 1032 p.m. EST on the 2nd. It crested at 6.07 feet at 8 p.m. EST on the 2nd. The river was above flood stage again from 1030 p.m. EDT on the 3rd through 545 p.m. EDT on the 4th. It crested at 6.03 feet at 145 a.m. EDT on the 4th. Farther downstream at Pine Brook, the Passaic River was above its 19 foot flood stage from 3 p.m. EST on the 2nd through 1130 p.m. EDT on the 8th. It crested at 20.7 feet at 1045 p.m. EDT on the 4th. Farther downstream at Two Bridges, the Passaic River never receded below flood stage from the March 28th heavy rain. It remained above the 9 foot flood stage until 4 p.m. EDT on the 9th. The highest April crest was 13.23 feet at 1115 p.m. EDT on the 4th.Specific storm totals included 4.20 inches in Chester, 3.80 inches in Jefferson Township, 3.72 inches in Ironia, 3.20 inches in Pequannock, 3.00 inches in Morris Plains, 2.72 inches in Marcella, 2.57 inches in Boonton and 2.33 inches in Morristown.The flooding heavy rain was caused by a low pressure system that moved from the southern Gulf Coast States on the morning of April 1st northeast to the eastern Tennessee Valley during the evening of the 1st, to far western Virginia just after Midnight EST on the 2nd, into central Virginia at 7 a.m. EST on the 2nd, near Washington, D.C. at 1 p.m. EST on the 2nd, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania at 7 p.m. EST on the 2nd, near Scranton, Pennsylvania at 1 a.m. EST on the 3rd, over the Finger Lakes in New York at 8 a.m. EDT on the 3rd and into eastern Lake Ontario at 2 p.m. EDT on the 3rd. The strong southeast flow preceding the low pressure system was able to entrain Atlantic Ocean moisture in addition to the Gulf of Mexico moisture into the system.  The flooding was exacerbated by the already wet soil conditions due to heavy rain on both March 23rd and 28th.

Flood in MORRIS, NEW JERSEY
From 01-APR-05 00:00:00 to 09-APR-05 15:00:00 (EST)
Property damage: 1M
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER